Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes will fight for a new EuroLeague title this week in Belgrade, but before heading to Serbia, they took some time to remember and celebrate their 2021 EuroLeague victory. 

On Monday, Anadolu Efes unveiled a monument to remember their last season's victory in front of the Sinan Erdem Arena. 

Turkey sports minister Mehmet Kasapoglu attended the ceremony, while all the official ranks of Anadolu Efes were also present, including president Tuncay Ozilhan, all players, and coach Ergin Ataman. 

The Turkish sports minister Mehmet Kasapoglu stated that the EuroLeague title won by Efes last season will be a driving force for the Turkish basketball movement moving forward. 

"I have absolute faith that the EuroLeague title that brought us together here today will be a new driving force for Turkish basketball," said Kasapoglu.

On the eve of the Euroleague Final Four in Belgrade, you might be coming across Bryant Dunston's name mostly in the context of EuroLeague's record books. As he is the current holder of the all-time blocks record of the competition, it is all legit. 

But actually, he has a much bigger place in European basketball than just numbers. 

As he is getting ready for his 3rd Final Four and a potential championship game, Dunston revealed his thought in an interview with Ismail Senol from Bein Sports Turkey.

"I am not someone who cares about the stats that much," Dunston admits. 

Thomas Walkup was one of the main warriors that earned Olympiacos Piraeus a win in front of thousands of crazy fans in Game 5 of the EuroLeague playoffs series against AS Monaco.

It will be the first time for Walkup in the EuroLeague Final Four. The American guard came to Zalgiris Kaunas the next season after the team made it to the final four, beating Olympiacos, so he never got to experience the thrill of making it to the grand stage of European basketball.

"Before I came to Europe, I could not imagine how huge this achievement is, but this year, now five years into European basketball, I have realized that few basketball players manage to experience the atmosphere of a Final 4 at least once," Walkup told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We are not going to take this opportunity for granted."

Walkup is beloved by the Greek fans. "This year, as a team, I can say that we played a game that had no selfishness, both on defense and offense. The people recognized it and that is why they express their support so strongly," the guard explained.

"Even when we were down, I received messages like 'we believe in you, keep going!' and I know very well that these do not happen all the time and everywhere," he continued. "Coming to Olympiacos, I have appreciated many things and I really have fun."

Vasilije Micic was not included in the All-EuroLeague First Team, provoking a strong reaction from Svetislav Pesic.

As EuroLeague Basketball announced, this season's lineup is made up of Sasha Vezenkov, Mike James, Nikola Mirotic, Shane Larkin and Edy Tavares. On the other hand, Micic was included in the All-EuroLeague Second Team, along with Vladimir Lucic, Shavon Shields, Kostas Sloukas and Giorgos Papagiannis.

Serbian national team head coach Svetislav Pesic said he was surprised to see Anadolu Efes Istanbul's point guard not make the competition's first team. 

"Micic is EuroLeague's first scorer, even though he is a playmaker. It's weird... Is it possible not to be in the best five? Nothing can surprise you in the EuroLeague," Pesic said in an interview with Telegraf.

"How is it possible that the top scorer and last year's MVP is not selected in the First Team?" Pesic wondered.

"He was the one who kept Efes afloat in the games against AX Armani Exchange Milan, with the help of his teammates of course. It's unbelievable that he won't be the MVP," the experienced coach continued.

"I thought there was a mistake. I don't understand this choice, with all due respect. Practically, he was the one who carried Efes to the Final Four, the best without any exaggeration," he concluded.

In Game 2 of the Turkish Basketball League playoffs series, Pinar Karsiyaka overcame Anadolu Efes Istanbul and forced the series to a decisive Game 3, which will be played in Istanbul.

However, the match will have to wait as it was postponed due to Anadolu Efes' attendance in EuroLeague Final Four, the club officially announced.

The duel was originally scheduled for Sunday, May 15.

The new date will be decided after the end of the EuroLeague competition by the Turkish Basketball Federation.

EuroLeague Final Four will take place in Belgrade on May 19-21.

The reigning champs Efes will meet Olympiacos Piraeus in the first semifinal.

In game 2 of the playoffs series, Pinar Karsiyaka (7) overcame Anadolu Efes (2) and forced the series to Game 3, the decisive one which will be played in Istanbul. Pinar were led by Michael Roll and Tony Taylor, while Efes struggled offensively without the presence of Vasilije Micic. The final score was 79-73 (21-22, 28-20, 14-15, 16-16).

Thanks to an Alex Tyus basket, Pinar extend their lead to six points with less than 30 seconds left on the clock (79-73), and Efes couldn't answer anymore. 

After a very well-balanced third quarter, Efes opened the final period with a 9-2 run to take the lead in the game (66-65). Michael Roll and Tony Taylor, though, took Pinar back on their shoulders and with less than two minutes remaining, they found once again the lead (73-71). 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul opened up the Turkish Basketball League playoffs on a high note by crushing Pinar Karsiyaka, 90-66, and taking a 1-0 series lead.

However, Shane Larkin left the match with a right knee problem, ringing the alarm bell ahead of the EuroLeague Final Four, which is scheduled for next week (May 19-21).

The agile guard was substituted in the third quarter with 3:51 left on the clock and did not come back to the game.

Though, the injury seemed to occur in the first period, as Larkin jumped and later bumped into the opponent. When Larkin landed, his knee was overextended.

"We played very good basketball. The first matches of the playoff series are always very dangerous, especially in the series out of three games. We were missing important players, but we still played well. Our players from the bench made a serious contribution.

Shane Larkin had a slight over-stretch in his knee at the start of the match. I hope it's nothing serious. We didn't use him in the last period, because it was no longer necessary," Ergin Ataman commented post-game.

As the Turkish specialist has reported earlier, Vasilije Micic, Rodrigue Beaubois, and Krunoslav Simon were missing Anadolu Efes' pieces in this contest.

Shane Larkin's injury moment: